


either a white rabbit or a dove (that's all the same)

by gudesanha



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, Pining, basically most members of nct r showing up at some point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-26 20:15:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14409765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gudesanha/pseuds/gudesanha
Summary: mark is a villain and donghyuck is a hero, and it's simple as that. that is, until a series of events forces them to work together.





	either a white rabbit or a dove (that's all the same)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mark tries to be a good person for once and it backfires.

mark didn't plan for things to go this way.   
  
the day starts the same as any other, with mr. kim doyoung himself interrupting mark's (very much needed) beauty sleep at ass o' clock at night so they can, in his own words, "do cool villain things." doyoung doesn't let mark go back to sleep no matter how much he complains, and he learns the hard way how difficult it is to put his cape on in the dark.   
  
sadly, being a villain isn't quite as exciting as everyone thinks it is. mark spends most of his days as backup for doyoung and he’s bored to death more often than not. he’s apprenticed to doyoung (he prefers not to use the term sidekick) and since the older is only class b, they never really do anything particularly interesting or risky. most of it is just disabling the traps the superheroes had set for the higher-up villains before they head in, fighting equally average heroes, or doing other things that require the brute force that they can deliver. mark yearns for something  _ more _ .    
  
but that's just how it works in this industry. every villain has to be registered with the villain association and the association has ranks within it. the lowest class you can be in is rank c; they’re made up of the more powerful street criminals and typically do their own thing. classes a & b are the actual villains and those with actual powers, with the difference between them being who is stronger and in more control of their abilities. the final and most prestigious class, class s, is reserved for the best of the best. mark has been stuck in class b for coming on 6 months now and no matter how hard he tries, his rank never changes. (doyoung says mark is still a class b villain because he has no self-control. mark strongly disagrees.)   
  
mark is jolted out of his thoughts as something crashes to the ground a distance away from where he is walking home, the impact big enough to send chunks of rock flying through the air. mark dives to avoid a piece of concrete that’s at least as big as his face, hissing when his shoulder digs painfully into the ground. he contemplates making a decision that doyoung would definitely scold him for before giving in, and the thought of proving his mentor wrong is too tempting to resist. the cold air stings his face as he runs and his limbs are heavy with fatigue, but he can feel his heart start to pick up in excitement at the possibility of actually seeing some action.   
  
he skids to a stop at the crater that has appeared in the empty road, ignoring the way the sharp edges of rocks dig painfully into his palms and knees and police sirens are wailing faintly in the distance. mark nervously peers down into the hole, expecting to see an alien or, even worse, a hero. he feels his heart skip a beat as soon as he finally lowers his gaze and takes in the sight before him.   
  
lying there is a superhero, and he looks hurt.   
  
mark's heart is racing so fast that it feels as if it’s trying to beat out of his chest as he stares down at the boy in shock, silently and futilely willing his frozen limbs to move. a pained groan from the hero breaks him from his reverie and mark quickly jumps down to the other's level, the sound of rocks kicked by careless feet filling the air as he did. the superhero is obviously injured, blood trickling from a gash on his forehead and a wrist bent unnaturally, but all mark can think about for a moment is how beautiful the other is, with the way the moonlight cascades over the angles of his still features and the way his caramel hair fans his face like a halo reminding him of an angel.  ****  
** **

mark exhales forcefully and shakes his head before making an attempt to check him for injuries, all the meanwhile cursing himself for never paying attention when doyoung had taught him first aid. he stops abruptly as a thought pops into his head.    
  
_ my powers. _   
  
mark's powers have lied dormant for so long that he’s not sure if they even existed anymore, and the mere thought using them sets off warning sirens in his head. but, villain or not, how can he just leave the hero here to die?    
  
he makes a split second decision before he can regret anything. mark takes in a deep breath and ignores the voices inside him that are screaming that villains don't help heroes or else, holding his shaking hands over the hero's broken body and searching for the familiar warmth that sleeps deep inside him. it feels like forever before mark can feel power seeping into him and burning through his veins, a shocked gasp escaping him as it feels as if his powers are setting him on fire from the inside out. he opens his eyes to see a faint shadow surrounding his outstretched hands and slowly, carefully moving onto the body underneath him. mark laughs incredulously as the various injuries slowly start to disappear off of the hero's skin and absorb into the darkness, and after a minute, the boy seems to be far from the brink of death.   
  
the hero's eyes slowly flutter open and he looks around in panic for a moment before settling his gaze on the person next to him. mark's breath is stolen from his lungs as soon their gazes lock, and he can feel warmth slowly start to spread throughout his chest and speed up his heart. The hero opens his heart-shaped lips and is about to say something when an unknown force slams into mark and sends him flying backwards, his back hitting something hard. ****  
** **

mark’s vision blurs as his body erupts in the worst pain he’s ever felt, molten lava burning through him and wiping all thoughts from his mind.. mark somehow finds it within himself to make an attempt to rise, and his vision finally clears as he raises his head to search for whoever had done this to him.    
  
he feels his heart drop as he stares at the two figures in front of him. another hero stands protectively in front of the boy from earlier, disgust weighing down his sharp gaze as he sneers at mark. the hero is all sharp angles and lean muscle but despite his height and more than impressive form, he doesn’t look to be much older than either of the other boys. mark averts his eyes away from the man’s piercing gaze towards the younger boy who, now that mark can see him clearly, seems to be the same age as him, and he feel his heart clench at the way the younger hero is looking at him. an arrogant sneer is twisting his lips, a sharp contrast to the softer expression he had been wearing earlier, but the fear in his eyes is somehow even even worse. that's right, mark tells himself, you're a villain and he's a hero.   
  
the pain is starting to make it hard to focus, and honestly, all mark wants to do is go home. the older hero, however, obviously has another plan in mind, and the menacing way he takes a step towards mark gives him an uneasy feeling. the hero is saying something now, but all mark can hear is the sound of his heart beating desperately in his chest. just when he thinks his knees are about to give out, the hero gives mark a pitying smile and flicks his wrist, somehow sending mark flying backwards through the air for the second time that night, and mark can hear the thud of his own body hitting the ground as everything goes dark.   
  
mark doesn't remember much after that. he recalls waking up a few times to the feeling of someone carrying him rather roughly on their back, and it feels like his pain gets worse with every step they take. mark is also pretty sure he threw up on said person at one point, and he's a little suspicious that they dropped him on the ground after that. his vague memories stop after that, but a lilting, smooth voice seems to linger in his mind.    
  
the next thing mark knows, he's lying in his bed with his famous villain print covers pulled up to his chin and no recollection of how he got there. he blinks the sleep out of his eyes and stretches his aching muscles, gritting his teeth when pain shoots through him. what the fuck happened last night?   
  
mark brings his arms back down and unknowingly whacks someone in the face, startling and whipping his head around to see doyoung sitting cross-legged on the bed next to him, holding his nose. "i take care of you all day and this is the thanks i get?" despite the irritated words, the relief in the older boy's voice is clear.   
  
mark gives his best friend a grateful grin and scoots closer, setting his head in doyoung's lap without asking, the position both familiar and relaxing. "hey, thanks for bringing me home last night."   
  
doyoung frowns down at him, a confused look in his eyes as he automatically sets a comforting hand in the younger's hair. "what do you mean? you were here when i came over." at this, both boys give each other equally confused looks.   
  
they stay like this for a moment before doyoung speaks up. "care to explain what happened to you?"   
  
mark turns his gaze away, an almost childlike pout on his face. he thinks for a moment before sighing and explaining the ordeal, leaving out the part when he first saw the hero and, as yuta would say, his gay slipped out. when mark gets to the bit about using his powers, doyoung gasps loudly and slaps him on the arm, ignoring the pained groan that came with it.    
  
"mark lee, what the fuck did i tell you about using you powers?" the tone of doyoung's voice is displeased and almost condescending, and it lights a fire of anger within mark. the younger boy sits up despite his protesting muscles and gives doyoung a look, but his mentor continues.   
  
"villains aren't supposed to have powers like yours, mark, and they're definitely not supposed to use them on heroes. all of us didn't work this hard just for you to ruin everything."   
  
the words fill him with a sudden hurt and anger, and it feels as if his emotions are bubbling inside of him, a darkness inside of him that’s waiting to get out. he's right, some part of mark tells himself, villains aren't like you. they don't get sad or hurt, and they don't feel things for flower boy heroes. before mark can grit his teeth and swallow his feelings, he feels himself turn to doyoung and speak.   
  
"who says i want to be a villain, doyoung? who says i want to be your little sidekick? i never asked for any of this shit, and now i can never escape." mark's voice sounds bitter and angry and completely unfamiliar, but doyoung's eyes just soften in response. he murmurs comforting words and reaches for mark's wrist, but he stands and pulls away from the older boy's grip.   
  
mark ignores the soft calls of his name and stumbles into the kitchen, throwing open the fridge with shaking hands. he sets the milk on the table and pauses for a moment, running a weak hand through his hair as he surveys the empty room. nothing seems to be out of place and he relaxes until his eyes catch on something bright on the ground near the back door, and he slowly walks over to the foreign object.   
  
a torn piece of red fabric with a small, strangely shaped sun symbol lay on the floor, and mark bends to pick it up. he absentmindedly rubs his fingers over the velvety fabric as thoughts swirl through his mind. after a moment, he makes his way back to his room, his half-made cereal sitting forgotten on the kitchen table.   
  
doyoung's face lights up into a smile as soon as mark enters, and he’s about to apologize when the younger boy holds up a hand. neither of them speak as they resume their earlier position and an almost comfortable silence settled over them. most of their friendship is just like this; one of them says something mean (and probably true) to the other and they argue, but after a while of tense silence and angry looks, they eventually just return to normal, without a word about what had happened.   
  
mark closes his eyes and simply enjoys the feeling of his best friend's slim fingers combing through his hair for a minute before looking up at doyoung and holding up the small cloth from earlier. "do you know what this is? i found it in the kitchen."   
  
doyoung's eyebrows furrow for a moment as he examines the object before an unreadable expression dawn on his face. "yeah, i actually do," he sighs. "that's the symbol for helios."   
  
"who the fuck is helios?"   
  
"watch your fucking language," doyoung hisses, smacking mark on the arm. "helios is only, like, the most popular rookie hero. everyone knows him."   
  
mark scoffs. "yeah, well, i obviously have no idea who this hell leos guy is, but he sounds like a total dweeb. and why is something with his logo on it in my house?"   
  
doyoung gives him a thoughtful look. "wait, the hero you saved, what did he look like?"   
  
it takes mark a whole minute to figure out how to describe the hero without sounding like he was totally whipped (which he was.) "uh. well, he had, like, caramel hair, i guess. and tan skin."   
  
doyoung is obviously not impressed with his lacking description, but he nods after a moment. "i was right. the hero you saved is helios," he informs mark. "but wait, if you saved helios, doesn't that mean the other hero was achilles? mark, oh my god! why didn't you tell me that you met the achilles, you idiot?"   
  
it takes all of mark's self control to not burst out laughing at the shy expression and pink flush on doyoung's face. the older boy clearly wasn't good at hiding his feelings for others. "do you really have a crush on the dipwad who almost killed me? and what’s with the lame greek mythology names?"   
  
"do i really have to remind you that your villain name comes from greek mythology too?" doyoung chuckled, not so subtly avoiding the first question. "nyx is the greek goddess of night. i thought you knew that."   
  
"wait, i'm named after a goddess?" mark cries, an indignant look on his face. doyoung bursts out laughing at this, and after mark sits up and hits him rather violently with a nearby pillow, a full-on pillow fight erupts. the childish war continues until a loud beep sounded from mark's phone, disrupting their loud laughter. they share a curious look before mark stands up to go grab it. he turns the phone on and clicks on the message, his face falling into a worried look as soon as he reads it.   
  
mark sighs and answers doyoung after he nags him for an answer, not making eye contact. "the association wants me to come in. they're probably pissed," he mumbles, already starting to get ready. the older boy immediately hops up and insists that he’s coming along, and the frown on mark's face shifts into a weak but grateful smile.   
  
they’re soon ready and leave the house, a slightly tense silence settling over them as they step onto the cracked sidewalk. doyoung presses a button on his keys and his car jumps to life, and they both hop in and mark turns the radio on as doyoung starts to drive, the latest song from a popular girl group filling the silence. he absentmindedly hums along as he stares out the window at the quickly passing neighborhood, trying to act as if he wasn't at all nervous. the association doesn’t call villains to headquarters for things other than a new mission often, and when they did, you either did something really good or really bad. mark had a feeling it was the latter.   
  
doyoung tries his best to make conversation, but when mark only answers with a few vague words, he gives up. after a few minutes of silence, he seems to remember something and a small smile grows on his face. "did you know that jaemin thought we were dating for like, 8 months?"   
  
"what? how? just because we're best friends who cuddle and don't say 'no homo' every 5 seconds like him and renjun doesn't mean we're in love," mark huffs immediately, and the pair share a smile. “besides, you’re old.” before either of them can say anything else, they arrive at the tall building and doyoung slows to a stop.   
  
mark gets out of the car and, despite how many times he's seen the association's building, he's struck with how beautiful yet intimidating it is. the pitch black structure towers over everything else, it's only rival the hero association's golden building standing on the opposite side of the vast city. the text he received says to meet on the 56th floor, which is likely near the top, and mark swallows nervously as he and doyoung enter the building.   
  
despite the early hours, the large lobby is filled with many familiar faces, some masked and some not. a younger class b villain, chenle, practically pounces on mark as soon as the pair walked in, nearly knocking him over. chenle pulls back with a bright grin that quickly morphs into a frown as he registers the slightly pained expression on mark's face. he shoots doyoung a questioning look when mark says nothing, and the eldest smirks before leaning in and whispering something to chenle.   
  
chenle giggles behind his hand, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "aw, our little markie has a hero boyfriend!" doyoung bursts out laughing and mark quickly shushes them, frantically looking around to make sure no one heard. a female villain he recognizes as being named taeyeon sends him an amused glance as she passes, and mark feels his face flush.   
  
"i do not have a thing with him. it's his fault i got hurt," mark pouts. "and before i go, how’s renjun doing?” ****  
** **

chenle’s expression quickly becomes grim. “he’s recovering, and johnny and jaemin have been watching over him, but he can’t use his powers or animate anything. the hero he fought must’ve been pretty tough.”   


they talk for a few minutes more before someone calls for chenle and the three of them part ways. doyoung and mark navigate their way through the crowd and make their way to the elevators, managing to avoid all attempts at conversation from their various friends. they step into an empty elevator and slowly make their way up. nervousness is practically radiating from mark, and doyoung glances at his best friend before reaching down and entangling their fingers.   
  
"stop worrying, mark," doyoung murmurs, voice soft and firm at the same time, and he speaks again before mark can deny it. "it's gonna be fine. not every call to headquarters is bad news, you know."   
  
mark sighs and looks down. "yeah, of course. but every time i come here, it feels like it's going to be a repeat of what happened last time."   
  
before doyoung can ask him to clarify, a small beep resounds through the elevator, signaling that they had reached their floor. a man in a suit greets them as they step out and waves for them to follow him. he silently leads them down a wide hallway that seems to go on forever, and it feels like hours before they finally reach their destination.   
  
a woman is sitting at a desk in the center of the room they enter, and two security guards stand stoically at either side of the doorway. the woman looks up from her papers as they arrive, her hand that was quickly writing something down pausing and a polite smile settling on her face that didn't quite reach her dark eyes. "hello, nyx. hello, viper."   
  
mark mumbles something close to a greeting in return and bows low to the woman, eyes trained on the ground. he can’t tell if it’s nerves or something else, but he feels so sick that he’s sure he’ll throw up all over the pristine floors if he moves too quickly. (he really, really hopes he won’t.)   
  
"do you know why we asked you to meet us here, nyx?" the woman continues, face perfectly blank, after mark quickly shakes his head. "you're not in trouble."   
  
mark can feel the tension drain out of him and he can’t help but let out a sigh of relief as doyoung squeezes his hand and sends him a look that says  _ i told you so. _   
  
"normally, there would be a punishment for healing a hero as you did last night, but this is no normal situation, and you are no normal villain. you had an encounter with the heroes helios and achilles, correct?" she speaks so fast that mark had no opportunity to answer. "we have been investigating the hero achilles for some time now, and one of our spies in the heroes association has reported some suspicious activity from him. this is where you come in."   
  
"as you know, we have a code here, despite being villains. but what achilles has been doing has broken the heroes' code and even ours. we believe the only one who can stop him is you."   
  
mark stares at her in shock, not even bothering to hide it at this point. he’s sure doyoung's expression mirrors his, judging by the quiet gasp he had hears.   
  
"me?"   
  
the woman smiled at him with seemingly endless patience. "yes, you. you may not know this, but i am one of the heads of this association, and we have all thought hard about this. the heroes are suspicious of us, and i'm sure they expect us to send a high ranking villain after achilles. but judging by your control over your powers despite them being locked away all this time, you have the potential to be great."   
  
she tilts her head and blinks at him. "did you know that the last villain with your type of powers lost control the first time he used them and started a fire that burned down nearly a quarter of our city? i hope you now understand why all of us discouraged you from using your power in any way."   
  
mark doesn’t answer. it feels as if all of this information she had unloaded onto him was suffocating him, pressing in on his lungs and hardening in his throat, and he isn’t sure how he’s supposed to grasp it all. most of all, mark doesn’t understand why they’ve chosen him to do anything. last night, mark had used his powers for the first time in almost ten years, and it makes no sense for him to have complete control of them. fuck, mark doesn’t even  _ know  _ what his powers were supposed to be. as a child, his parents had told him that he could heal people, and that had been that.    
  
this all feels like some kind of sick prank.   
  
mark shakes his head and exhales shakily. "i think you've got this all wrong. i have healing powers, not whatever you think i have. i don't want to do this."   
  
he feels doyoung's hand close around his wrist and squeeze painfully hard in warning, but he doesn’t even spare the older boy a glance.   
  
the woman nods , the knowing expression on her face almost bordering on condescending. "mark, you may not understand this, but we do. make sure you don't forget who's in charge here."   
  
the way she used his real name and the threatening undertone in her voice don’t go unnoticed, and mark can feel a bad feeling spread across his body. doyoung's painful grip and the swirling emotions running through him seem to entrap him, and he speaks before he can do something he would regret.   
  
"fine."   
  
the next moments pass as a blur and mark barely listens to a word the woman said. he vaguely remembers her mentioning something about helios or whoever, and he reminds himself to ask doyoung what she said later.    
  
as soon as the woman motions for them to leave, mark grabs doyoung's wrist and practically drags him out of the room and down the long hallway, ignoring his hissed protests and attempts to make the younger boy slow down. mark releases him when they get into the hallway, and his anger is clear in the way his jaw clenches and his shoulders are pushed back.   
  
mark feels his best friend reach for his hand, but he shrugs him off and turns his head away. the hurt expression on doyoung's face tugs at mark's heart but he still says nothing, choosing instead to think in silence. tension hangs thick in the air, and it feels like hours before the doors open and they step back into the lobby. mark stalks across the wide area in record time, forcing doyoung to jog to catch up.   
  
the silence extends into more than half of the car ride until mark seems to have had enough and finally speaks.   
  
"i don't want to do this."    
  
doyoung sends him a sad yet reserved smile, glancing away from the road. "i know it sucks, but a lot of this job is doing things you don't want to just because the association asked you to. but i'm sure it won't be too bad! you do get to work with your helios, after all."   
  
“what are you talking about,” mark mumbles, leaning his head against the window. ****  
** **

"are you an idiot? she said that her spy told her about helios being suspicious of achilles too, so there's a chance he'll cooperate with you," doyoung informs him with a wry smile on his face.   
  
mark just groans and sinks down in his seat, trying to hide the slight blush on his face.   
  
the next two weeks pass quickly, with mark somehow managing to balance his seemingly endless homework and frequent excursions with doyoung. when the association calls him in and tells him to bring his disguise, he already knows what's going to happen.   
  
m ark arrives early at the designated meeting point, a small cafe that he sees every day on his way to school. the lights are all off and it’s eerily silent as he inserts the key into the lock and steps inside. ****  
** **

he nearly trips over what seems to be a shoe as he fumbles for the light switch, and he’s just starting to turn around when someone speaks from behind him. ****  
** **

“nice to see you again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhh hello i edited this chapter!!! hopefully its better hehe.....please tell me what u like and don't like thanks!  
> my twt/cc: hyucktography  
> special thanks to ali i love u


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